Injector operating means



O. E. WATSON IIIIJ'ECTO(l OPERATING MEANS Filed Dec. 4, 1944 Nov. 20, 1945.

Patented Nov. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INJEcroa OPERATING MEANS Orla E. Watson, Kansas City, Mo. Y ApplicationDecember 4, 1944, Serial No. 566,579

` (ci. 10s- 153i y A y SClaims. The --present invention relates to injector operating means, and aims to provide a novel and improved construction adapted for efficient and uniform `operation in the intermittent feeding of relatively small amounts of fluids under pressure. f l

Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide means for injector operation in which the operating movement takes place by a quick andeffective feeding stroke produced by a full stroke of the injector plunger, and for carrying out said operation at regular and accurately tim'ed intervals, which are subject to convenient control and regulation by the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction which is relatively simple aswell as eicient and practical, and comprised of comparatively few parts in a sturdy assembly having no operating elements likely to get out of With the foregoing general objectsA in View, the invention will now .be described by reference to the accompanying drawing illustratingV one form of construction which has been found suitablefor the practical embodiment ofthe proposed improvements, after which those features and-combinationsdeemed to be novel and Datentable will be particularly set forth and claimed. In the drawing- Y Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation shownjector operating means constructed in accordance with the present invention; Y and Figure 2 is a detail sectional view representing a, section'taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. In most injector appliances for the feeding of fluids under pressure, the operating pistons have relatively slow movement, vor are actuated in such a manner as to produce short operative or feeding strokes adapted to feed only correspondingly small quantities of the fluid. For many duties this character of feed operationis not entirely satisfactory, and it is thereforerthe-purpose of the present improved construction to devise operating means calculated to feed both intermitA tently and also by a full quick feeding movement for each stroke ofthe feed plunger, and to combine such operating means with suitable provision for properly timing the feed interval of the operation.

vReferring now `to the-drawing, this illustrates the improved operating means as assembled in a naled a shaft stud I2 provided with an operating arm-:Ilxed to said shaftV and projectingto ,suitable casing or housing In in which is jourv the exterior of said housing I0 and adapted to have its outer end linked with any conventional form of transmission for imparting a vertical oscillatory or swinging movement to the arm I4 and thereby correspondingly oscillating the shaft I2. y

Also fixed to the shaft I2 is a bell crank arm I6 to the upper end of which is pivoted (as at I8) one end of a plunger operating rod or bar 2D, the opposite end-'of which is designed to be intermittently engaged with a stem 22 forming the shank of aplunger 24 constituting part of an injector pump 26 of any conventional type, and illustrated as supported in the upper portion' 0f the casing or housingV I0. The plunger 24'is vmaintained in normally retracted position by means of a coil spring 28 interposed between the body of the pump 26 and the head portion 25 of the plungerthe retracting movement of the plunger being limited by engagement of said head 25 with a fixed plate 30 having a suitable opening 32 for the shank or stem portion 22 of the plunger.

While the plunger operating rod or bar 2li is continuously reciprocated by the arm I6, it actuates the plunger only at those intervals' when its movement is in a direct line with the plunger, and this alinement of the rod or bar 20 with said plunger and the desired timing thereof are'accomplished by means ofthe followingconstruction. y f The lower end of the bell crank arm I6 is pro.- vided with a suitable pawl 3B actuated by a spring 38 into engagement with the teeth of a ratchet wheel 41D forming part of a combination cam and ratchet wheel assembly which is mounted on a shaft 42 underneath the plunger operating bar l2l), said assembly including a conventional detent 4I for conning the Wheel 40 to rotative movement in one direction only. The cam wheel portion 44- of said assembly isvformed with a peripheral notch 4B deep enough to accommodate a tooth 48 on said bar 20, thereby allowing the latter to drop momentarily into alinement with the plunger, or long enough toproduce a working stroke of said plunger. The diameter of the remaining portion of the cam wheel portion 44 is, on the other hand, adapted to maintain said plunger operating bar 20 at all times out of alinement with the plunger, so thata Working or feeding stroke can take place only once during each revolution of the cam Vand ratchet wheel assembly. 1 x

The cam wheel 44 is further provided with a pinto adapted to engage. and actuate. a vDawlreleasing arm 52 which is pivotally mounted at 54 and supported in operative position by means of a coil spring 56. This arm 52 has a pawlreleasing portion comprising a curved extension 58 projecting alongside a portion of the periphery of the wheel 44 in position to engage a laterally projecting nger on the pawl 36 and maintain the latter completely out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 4U when the pin 58 engages a hump 'or projection 60 on the shank portion of said arm 52, thereby forcing said arm outwardly against the action of its spring 56 into operative engagement with said pawl.

Conventional means is provided for regulate ing the operative action of the pawl 36, the same comprising a pawl engaging and releasing arm 62 pivoted at 64, at the top of the casing Il), and projecting downwardly alongside va portion of the periphery of the ratchet wheel 48 in position for engagement with the pawl 36 as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. 'Ihe upper end of the arm 62 is formed with a shank portion 66 engaged and operated by a suitable adjusting screw 68 .threaded through the casing wall and provided with an exterior handle portion 10. A compression spring 'I2 is interposed between said shank 6B and the casing for actuatingthe arm 62 normally away from the pawl 36, whereas said arm is adjusted by said screw 68 in the opposite direction for regulating the ex tent of operative engagement of the pawl with the teeth of the ratchet Wheel 40 in a wellknown manner, and thus to a corresponding extent timing the operation of the cam wheel 44.

From the foregoing it will be understood that in the operation of the device, a continuous reciprocating motion is imparted to the arm I4, whereby a reciprocating movement is also imparted to the plunger operating bar 2l), and at the same time rotary movement is transmitted to the cam and ratchet wheel assembly at a rate according to the adjustment of the screw 68 and arm 62. The cam and ratchet wheel elements rotatein unison and maintain said bar 20 in raised position or out of alinement with the plunger, 24 except for the operating interval illustrated in Figure 1, at which time the notch 4S arrives in position approximately opposite the tooth 48, thus allowing said bar 29 to drop into direct alinement with the plunger 24. At the same time the pin 5l) on the cam Wheel 44 engages and operates thearm 52, whereby the extension 58 is caused to release the pawl 36 from the ratchet wheel 40so that the rotation of the cam and ratchet wheel assembly is momentarily stopped. Consequently the next following reciprocation of said bar 20 constitutes a working stroke for driving the plunger 24 the full length of the operating movement of said bar 2D, and therefore a, corresponding full stroke of` said plunger. During this working stroke of the bar 28, the tooth 48 engages a, shoulder 46 formed at one end of the notch 46, and thereby imparts a partial rotation to the cam and ratchet Wheel assembly, which causes the pin 50 to rideon past the hump or projection 60 on the arm 52, which is then movedv outy of engagementwith the pawl 36 by the action of its spring 56.

This completes a cycle of the operation, which then proceeds in the same manner to effect an operative or working stroke of the plunger operating bar 20 for each succeeding rotation of the cam and ratchet wheelassembly.

It -will thus be apparent that I have vdevised a very'lpractical and at the same time highly eilicient arrangement and construction for the carrying out of the aforesaid objects of my nvention,and while I have illustrated and described one form of apparatus suitable for the embodiment of my proposed features of improvement I desire to be understood as reserving the right to make all changes or modiiications which fairly fall within the scope of my invention as dened by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Injector operating means comprising, in combination with an injector pump having a reciprocating plunger, a reciprocating drive bar movable into and out of alinement with said plunger, means for actuating said drive bar, and means for intermittently moving said bar into and out of alinement with said plunger.

2. Injector operating means comprising, in combination with an injector pump having a reciprocating plunger, a reciprocating drive bar movable into and out of alinement with said plunger, means for continuously reciprocating said drive bar, and means acting at intervals to effect alinement of said drive bar with said plunger. k f

3. Injector operating means comprising, in combination with anvinjector pump having a reciprocating plunger, a reciprocating drive bar movable into and out of alinement with said plunger, means for continuously reciprocating said drive bar, and means actuated by said irst means for intermittently alining said drive bar with said plunger.

4. Injector operating means comprising, in combination with an injector pump having a reciprocating plunger, a reciprocating drive bar movable into and out of alinement with said plunger, means for continuously reciprocating said drive bar, and variable operating means. actuated by said first means for alining said drive bar at timed intervals with said plunger.

5. Injector operating means comprising, in combination with an injector pump having a reciprocating plunger, a reciprocating, drive bar movable into and out of alinement withsaid plunger, means for actuating said drive bar, and means for supporting said drive bar out of alinement with said plunger, lincluding means for perle odically dropping said barand supportingthe same in alinement with said plunger. l,

6. Injector operating means comprising, in combination with an injector pump having=a re,-Y ciprocating plunger, a reciprocating driveibar movable into and out of alinementwithgsaid plunger, means for actuating said drive bar,4 and a rotary supporting member actuated by said first means and acting to maintain said drive bar out of alinement with said plunger and including means for periodically dropping said drivefbar into operative driving alinement with said plunger. f'

7. Injector operating means comprising, in combination with an injector pump having 'a reciprocating plunger, a reciprocating drive bar movable into and out of alined drivingrelation to said plunger, means for actuating saidtdrive bar, and a rotary member actuated by'said `ilrst means with its periphery in supporting *engage-l ment with said drive bar for maintainingfthe same out of alinement with said plunger, the' pee riphery of said rotary member having an irregular portion permitting said drive bar to drop into" a position in alined driving relation to :satd plunger.

\ y8. Injector operating means comprising, l

combination with an injector pump having a reciprocating plunger, a reciprocating drive bar movable into and out of alined driving relation to said plunger, means for actuating said drive bar, a rotary member having its periphery in supporting engagement with said drive bar for maintaining the same out of alinement with said plunger and having a portion of its periphery adapted to drop said bar into position for alinement with said plunger, and means for actuating said rotary member and including provision for interrupting the rotary movement thereof during the intervals of alinement of said drive bar with said plunger.

ORLA E. WATSON. 

